FYI. I sent my SC out to get rebuilt (had a little over 100K on it). The shop said the internal seals are fine meaning the lube was not being sucked through the SC rotors. Rather, the loss of gear lube was due to the seal between the SC casing and water pump failing over time.

 

The O-ring(s) are #2. The one off the Water Pump is the important one.
The other one is inbetween the plate and the block, I saw residue, so I changed this one as well.


The Gasket is #2, it is green...
FYI, since im already explaining pictures... There are 2 #4 bolts, and they are torqued to 25Nm Bolts #3 and #5 are both torqued to 45Nm


#19 is the other gasket...its black. inbetween the SC and the intercooler horn.

 

Because of this problem I am out of retirement and since I have no Mini, Sushi's has served well for me to play on

Better listen to the man, his third time was the charm or was it four? Oh well that was a fun day... We did this, four times that day counting Strider's car so if anyone's need's pic's, we've got 'em

 

Here’s a twist on the SC noise issue, there was an expansion tank spew that precipitated concern followed the next day by a cold start cyclic screeching sound from under the hood. I pulled the SC and discovered lots of black rubber bits from the water pump’s shaft seal on both key drives. The SC had the same amount of fluid in both gear reservoirs I put in 23k miles ago. The 17-month-old, 23k mile, JCW pulley spun, water pump’s drive, had a jerky stiff resistance when turned. In contrast, my spare high mileage 19 & 15% driven water pump was free spinning and smooth. After installing the well used water pump there was an absence of noise I wasn’t aware I had become accustomed to.

I split the water pump housing but it will require a bearing puller to look further than the impeller. There were a few blades not glued to the outer disc but that would not have caused the noise; the two plastic halves snapped apart easily and I imagine it would have only been a matter of time before the impeller separated on its own.

 

I think I've been having a noise similar to this one recently, but when I'm in the car it seems to come from the drivers side. Also, I only hear it on a cold start when it's around 30F. Once the car starts warming up past the first tick mark, the sound goes away. Do you guys have any suggestions what I other things I can check (idler, etc) first to see if it's the culprit?

 

Does the noise occur when you push the clutch pedal in?

 

I'll have to double-check on that. Although I seem to remember that when I press the clutch, the idle is quieter in general (less knocking sound, even when it's the normal sounding idle)

I came across some threads in the 2nd gen forum where they talk about cold start chatter:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-chatter.html

This seems to be similar to what I have, but mine is a 03 MCS so it may not be exactly relevant.

 

You might want to do a search on rattling dual mass flywheels. I remember reading some threads about that a while back...

 

Wife's 05 mcs overheated this morning so she brought it home and I noticed a loud rattle at idle. I am going back outside to see if it is the SC .

 

02SCOOPER
Who'd you send the supercharger too?

 

but Steigemeyer (I never spell it right) seems to have water pump gears to rebuild failed units as well....)

Matt

 

FYI...

For California registered Minis, the Supercharger is covered by the "California Emission Control System Limited Warranty" for 7 years or 70,000 miles. From p.40 of the "Service & Warranty" booklet, the Parts List consists of...

- Intake manifold
- Engine Control Module (ECM)
- Supercharger
- Fuel tank
- Exhaust manifold with Catalytic converter
- Transmission Control Module (TCM)
- Knock sensors.

So for you Cali-Mini people, remember to fry your S/Cs at 65k!

 

I wonder if this applies to MINIs that were previously registered in CA? (like mine)

 

what about if you have a straight through exhaust? hehe

 

It must be "original/first" registration and currently registered in CA for the warranty to be valid.

 

this seems to be rare on the 05-06 models. it seems about 90% of the people reporting early failure are 02-04 owners. What was the design change between 04 and 05 that is mentioned in the MotoringFile buyers guide? Is it just the JCW unit on the newer cars? if so what are the real differences between the 2?

Thank you

 

If that's true, I'd like to know as well. Unable to check and drain/refill lubricant is not a good idea no matter how good a design the S/C is.

 

Or maybe it's because the '05-'06 MINI's don't have the mileage yet. My '03 didn't go until 119k. I'd like the hear from high mileage '05/'06 owners out there before I assume it's related to the JCW supercharger used on the later models. BTW, my replacement was the newer design so I'd love to hear it'll last longer than the first one, but I have my doubts.

 

i half way agree with the mileage idea. I have seen many an 05-06 with well into the 80k+ range but not heard or read many claims of issue. It could simply be that better seals/sealants were used on the newer units. I am under the impression that the only real difference is the coatings on the rotors themselves that make the supercharger itself last longer. any type of cooling should help as high temp = high expansion allowing the fluid to leak in small amounts. I'm wondering if maybe a slightly thicker lube might be in order to prevent the wateryness (i know i just made it up) of the oil at higher temperatures which creates greater tendency to leak. though 75w-90 is some pretty thick stuff i wonder if it wouldnt be worth trying something a little thicker but synthetic to make sure of uniformity. I havent dipped into the true realm of engineering lubricants yet so this is just a slightly educated guess. anyone with a well educated reason why this is absolutely not a good idea please speak up. I would like to be educated on the reasoning behind not trying a heavier weight or maybe something with a special addative.

I know that eaton designs their superchargers very carefully however the mini supercharger is kind of a red headed step child when it comes to the normal units they make. so that being said maybe they didnt quite get it right. just thinking out loud.

 

We now sell a replacement gear kit for the MINI supercharger. As far as
I know we are the only rebuilder that replaces the water pump drive gears/
PTO gears. We sell a kit which comes with the rear plate (rebuilt with new bearing,seal, and 43 tooth gear, all installed on shaft), 24 tooth gear, shaft seal,needle bearing,sealant,oil,etc.

The cause of the gears failing is the oil leaking from the rear gear box. The
cause of the leak is up for debate. From our observations the cause seems
to be the sealant between the main housing and the rear plate. When we
get the superchargers in for rebuilding the seals seam to be in good shape
(though this could be the cause for some unit's leaks). Once out of oil
the gears last from days to weeks. Once they are making noise there is
little time left before total failure - which remember that your water pump
will stop turning - overheating the motor (then blown head gaskets, etc.).
The supercharger will continue to operate when the gears fail, only the
water pump will be effected.

Of course we also do the entire supercharger w/ water pump drive gears
replacement. The supercharger comes with a 2 year- unlimited miles warranty.

Gear replacement kit $325.00

Supercharger rebuild w/gear replacement $550.00

Charles Judy
Supercharger technologies
352-542-0147 Fax:352-542-9468
supercharger@excite.com
www.superchargertech.com

 

Question to SuperChargerTech: Is the average DIYer able to remove the geared PTO end without the need for any special tools? Is the PTO end a closed space in which you place the lubricant during rebuilding, or can the lubricant only be installed after the PTO is reattached to the S/C? TIA.

 

Do you guys buy used superchargers? I have one that needs the gear & pulley. What do used superchargers go for anyway? It may be worth buying the kit and fixing it to sell.

 

Hello, finally i took off my s/c for inspection. Before I do furthur some questions to ask.
AZblackOUT (got below photos from your post, thanks) or vbmenu_register("postmenu_2580043", true)anyone with experinece disassembled s/c and inspected gear, confirm on questions with (?) below. And is there any thing to aware when removing plates?
thanks.

water pump side(?) plate off, no gasket(?)


pully side(?) plate off, no gasket(?)

 

No gaskets?

So does it use HT silicone sealant?

 

use an anaerobic sealer, just a thin coat will do it.
http://www.permatex.com/products/Aut...et_Maker_b.htm